Store Cupboard and budgeting help.

FairyPrincessk

Just a thought to add to the many suggestions above--it sounds like you may not stick to your meal plan because you're too tired/busy/it is too ambitious. It might help if you thought of meals that are both cheap and feasible for now. Batch cooking will definitely help with this, but I find it really helpful to have a solid base of easy meals that I can turn to so that I'm not tempted by pricey stuff.

Some ideas:
Jacket Spuds with Tuna/cheese/baked beans
Eggs/beans/cheese with toast
Stir fry
Egg fried rice
tuna pasta

Your list will probably be different--but the idea is that you've got something very cheap and easy that is always on hand--then that is what you stock your box with. So, tins of tuna, jacket spuds, tins of beans, rice, pasta etc. Obviously this list doesn't really involve much fruit or veg--so start simple. If one of the above is all you can manage then fine, at least it wasn't a ready meal. If you've got another couple of minutes, then rinse and slice up a cucumber, or grab and apple or banana. My guess is that if you PLAN to have quick meals at least some nights of the week then you will be less overwhelmed on nights when you do things a bit more involved, like spag bol, shepherds pie etc. If you double up on those nights then you can slowly build up some freezer meals. This might help you stick to your meal plan.

chirpychick

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

Do you have an Aldi or a local butcher nearby?.
What sort of foods do you like to eat?
Could you batch cook a few meals and put them in the freezer, for example 800g mince in Aldi is £2.49 add a couple of chopped onions and a bag of mixed vegetables, 50g red lentils £1 a 500g bag = 10p some mixed herbs, salt and pepper with some gravy and you have the base for ;

A shepherds pie - just add a mash topping

Mince and tatties - just add a tin of new potatoes (14p)

Make some pastry (225g p flour 45p a bag = 4p, 50g
lard 59p for 225g = 14p , 50g butter 99p for 225g =24p and water and a pinch of salt. Total cost = 42p) add a tin of potatoes to the mince and you have a meat and potato pie

Total cost for these three meals (That will feed two of you two meals each) so this is really six meals worth

Mince £2.49
1 bag frozen mashed potato 69p
2 Tins potatoes 28p
2 onions 20p
1 bag mixed veg 89p
HM pastry 42p
mixed herbs (19p a tub in asda) use to taste (2 or 3 tsps so say 2p)
S&P 1p
Total cost for enough for six meals is £5.10 divided by six = 85p per meal for two of you or 42.5p per portion.

OR

A pack of mince £2.49
2 tins tomatoes 62p
mixed herbs 3p
a squirt of tomato puree 48p a tube so approx 10p worth
A clove or two of garlic or to taste (30p a bulb so approx 10p worth)
tsp of sugar 3p
2 sliced onions 20p
half a bag of sliced mushrooms ( 2 bags of sliced frozen mushrooms in farmfoods for £1) so 25p worth
Half a bag of mixed sliced mushrooms £1 a bag in farmfoods so that is 50p worth
From this make :

Spaghetti Bolognaise add pasta 5p (spaghetti is 19p 500g) in Aldi

Lasagne add lasagne sheets 38p a box plus a white sauce which is just flour, milk and butter or buy a packet for 35p in Aldi

Use another portion with some chilli flakes (10p) and a tin of kidney beans 21p as a chilli con carne with rice (10p) or use in another bolognaise

Total cost £5.51 (But remember you will still have 1½ bags mushrooms, half a bag of peppers, rice, puree and pasta) so that is 91p per meal 46p per portion.

So as you can see you have enough mince based meals for 12 days at a total cost of £10.61

I will post a few more ideas for other things later, I must go out now x

This is so very very helpful thank you so much!
We dont have a butcher or an Aldi local but I can plan a trip to an Aldi and a Lidl when I take one of the dogs to the vets next month (boosters) as its near there.

FairyPrincessk wrote: »

Just a thought to add to the many suggestions above--it sounds like you may not stick to your meal plan because you're too tired/busy/it is too ambitious. It might help if you thought of meals that are both cheap and feasible for now. Batch cooking will definitely help with this, but I find it really helpful to have a solid base of easy meals that I can turn to so that I'm not tempted by pricey stuff.

Some ideas:
Jacket Spuds with Tuna/cheese/baked beans
Eggs/beans/cheese with toast
Stir fry
Egg fried rice
tuna pasta

Your list will probably be different--but the idea is that you've got something very cheap and easy that is always on hand--then that is what you stock your box with. So, tins of tuna, jacket spuds, tins of beans, rice, pasta etc. Obviously this list doesn't really involve much fruit or veg--so start simple. If one of the above is all you can manage then fine, at least it wasn't a ready meal. If you've got another couple of minutes, then rinse and slice up a cucumber, or grab and apple or banana. My guess is that if you PLAN to have quick meals at least some nights of the week then you will be less overwhelmed on nights when you do things a bit more involved, like spag bol, shepherds pie etc. If you double up on those nights then you can slowly build up some freezer meals. This might help you stick to your meal plan.

This is so helpful thank you.
I think you have hit the nail on the head that i am maybe aiming too high and that I should plan in some easier meals and perhaps rather than specifically saying we have x y on this day i think i can be more flexible and perhaps say ok we have 7 meal options for the week but it doesnt matter what day we have them on.


I really appreciate the help

heavenleigh

This thread is so insperational, my brain isn't working properly at the moment so i cant offer advice (eldest ds shattered shoulder at school, eldest dd starting to suffer migrains at 12, terminal cancer in the family) but this thread and the advice offered restores my faith in mankind, i hope you're ok op and manage through these hard times, this is the correct place to be for help and advice xx

pelirocco

Im not sure an emergancy food box will solve the problem , harsh as this will sound you need to 'store' money not food .

You need to work out a realistic budget and stick to it ...............that is easier then it sounds i know , but food is a priority spend

Butterfly_Brain

Asda have Galaxy chocolate for 50p a bar at the moment
They also have some reduced Turkey's in again £6 a small one, £8 medium and £10 for a large one :j Great to get a couple in and put one away for Christmas and use another one to make at least 5 meals (sm) more for the larger birds

Butterfly_Brain

heavenleigh It all seems to come at once doesn't it hun (((((((Hugs)))))) for you x

Butterfly_Brain

pelirocco wrote: »

Im not sure an emergancy food box will solve the problem , harsh as this will sound you need to 'store' money not food .

You need to work out a realistic budget and stick to it ...............that is easier then it sounds i know , but food is a priority spend

Why? The way that prices are rising, it is more shrewd to put your money into stores of food than to get negative interest in a savings account.

415SanFran

When I was growing up two ofmy mum's fall back meals were egg and potato curry and lentil curry, they were considered very posh back in the 70's

basicly you make a curry with a couple of onions and a few pounds of potatoes, with some curry powder. and boil some eggs then shell them and put them on top. I think mum used these for protien more than anything but it was good. It is extreemly filling and you can freeze the potatoe curry then just boil the eggs whilst it is warming up.
I love red lentil curry to this day, cheap cherfull filling freezes well. What more can you ask for?

415SanFran

Have a look on ebay local sales for things for the baby or car boot sales, much cheaper, you may even be lucky and get them from freecycle.
Have you tried selling the things that he has grown out of? You could have a boot sale of your own. people sell on face book as well worth a look.

FairyPrincessk

chirpychick wrote: »

This is so very very helpful thank you so much!
We dont have a butcher or an Aldi local but I can plan a trip to an Aldi and a Lidl when I take one of the dogs to the vets next month (boosters) as its near there.



This is so helpful thank you.
I think you have hit the nail on the head that i am maybe aiming too high and that I should plan in some easier meals and perhaps rather than specifically saying we have x y on this day i think i can be more flexible and perhaps say ok we have 7 meal options for the week but it doesnt matter what day we have them on.


I really appreciate the help

Yes, this is generally how my meal plans work. Although i write them down for a particular day, that doesn't mean we have to eat them that day. Sometimes things come up etc. However, other times, I will pick a particular meal for each day--this tends to be when i know our schedule will be very jam packed and we aren't sure who will get to the cooking first--it means certain days will need meals that either of us can cook.

Big hugs---I don't have kids, but I understand that first year or three is very difficult. It will get easier and you will get into a rhythm. Just be nice to yourself, you're taking care of a small person so if you can't produce cheap gourmet every night, I think that is fine!